White Rain
by blonde.mindblower
Summary: It all started out as a mission, but then turned into something serious before any of them could blink an eye. Later, they make a sacrifice to stay alive, only to have it come back and bite them in the butt. Very vague summary, youll get it later.
1. Chapter 1

-Hey peoples. I got all depressed when I saw nobody was updating any NejiIno fics, so I decided to make my own. This may be total crap, but at least it's craptastic crap. Oh, and I want to thank my friend(whatever her username on here is) for the title. Have fun. Oh, and as much as I wished I did, I don't own Naruto.

**White Rain**

Tsunade drummed her fingers against her desk. "Hinata, are you with us?"

Hinata blushed. "Um… yeah…"

Neji smirked. "Okay, so then what were the last few words Hokage-sama said?"

Hinata looked bewildered. She gulped and replied, "Hehe…well…"

Hinata never got a chance to say anything, because Ino rushed in, with a VERY panicked look on her face. She was wearing a white nurse's outfit(she quit training under Sakura and Tsunade, and since her mom worked at Konoha hospital, she might as well of trained over there) "Hokage-sama! There's an emergency at the hospital!"

Tsunade was really starting to get pissed. "And…?"

"Well, that one patient with the fifty lb. tumor on his back, yeah, well, he's in surgery right now, and there's some problems…"

Hinata had a grossed out look on her face. "Fifty lbs.?!? You know, I really give you credit for dealing with that kind of stuff, Ino."

Tsunade waved her hand impatiently. "Does it involve blood?"

Ino grimaced. "Well, they're removing it right now, so there's a whole lot of it."

"Well, screw that. I'm giving these two a mission here, can't you see that?"

" But if you don't come, this guy could die!"

"Whatever, so as I was saying, your cousin, Hagaki, and his immediate family, have tried to overthrow your dad, and your uncle, Hiashi.

They failed, and they fled the village the next day. We suspect Orochimaru's using them to get the Byakugan, so bring them back, and don't try to get captured in the process, okay?"

"Hokage-sama, I'm still waiting for you to come down to the hospital!"

"Well, if I taught those doctors anything, then they can handle a 50 lb. bloody tumor on their own."

"Oh geez, what am I going to tell everyone?" She let out a sigh, and headed towards the door, but as she reached the door-handle, Naruto came right through the door, as if it wasn't even there. "Old Lady, Old Lady!"

"Naruto, I thought I told you not to call me that!" Tsunade whacked Naruto.

"Ow! You don't understand that a disaster just happened!"

Neji smirked. "Like what? You gracing us with your annoying presence?"

Hinata glared at Neji, but he just simply returned it until Hinata looked away.

Naruto started crying. "You people are so cruel! Don't you know that the ramen stand burned down?"

Ino raised an eyebrow. Neji smirked(again!) . "Well, good riddance."

Now tears were streaming down Noaruto's face. "WHAT did you say!?"

Tsunade pounded her fist on her desk like a gavel. "Everybody shut up! Naruto, I don't think repairing the stand is important, so I'm ignoring that for now. And Ino, forget about the tumor guy, because you and Naruto are going on a mission with Hinata and Neji."

"But… the ramen…"

"Great. I'm stuck with a moron and a humorless jerk. Looks like Hinata's the only one I can sympathize with.." (Naruto starts angsting in corner about ramen)

"Tsunade-sama?"

"What is it, Neji?"

"I really don't think Ino should come. She might try to "seduce" me."

Hinata stared at everybody as if they were all on crack. "What?!?"

Ino twitched. "Oh shut up. At least I don't have a stick up my butt, and think I'm too cool to have any REAL friends."

" And please explain what kind of insult was that?"

Tsunade cleared her throat. "As entertaining as this is, I need to assign a squad leader. Neji, you probably already figured out that you're the team leader."

"Figures."

Ino rolled her eyes. Tsunade faced her now. "Ino, you're off hospital duty starting now. You guys leave at 7 AM tomorrow. Meet by Konoha Gate. Dissmissed!"

-End of Chappie 1-


	2. Chapter 2

-1**Yayz! Today waz a snow day, so I decided to go update crazy, and stuff. Therez an extra long chapter today! I have to thank the peoplez who reviewed, that really made my day. And, right now I am screwed because a) my friend wants me to write her an ItaxRin(the crackiest pairing ever) or an ItaxKure(which is just depressive to me) and b) I forgot that I suck at writing romance… I know. I really am screwed. So anybody that has any words of comfort, or advice, PLEASE help me out. Well, on with the craptastic crap.**

_**Mission Time!**_

Everybody was gathered at Konoha Gate. Everybody that is, except Naruto. Ino sighed. "Gawd. Naruto's half an hour late."

Neji smirked. "Hmph. And here I was thinking you'd be the last one here."

Hinata's not sure which side to choose. "Uh, Neji, you don't need to be so mean to her…"

"It's okay Hinata, stuck-up bastards will always be stuck-up bastards."

Neji glared at Ino coldly. "Well, now look who's being mean."

"Argh! You can never win with this kid!"

Naruto ran up to them with a guilty look on his face. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late, but my microwave burned when I tried to make instant ramen, and the fire took a really long time to put out!

Ino shook her head. "How come every place Naruto eats ramen sets on fire?"

"Save yourself some mentality, Ino, and don't ask."

"Gee, thanks, Neji."(sarcasm)

Hinata looked sympathetically at Naruto. "Wow Naruto, that must be terrible…"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, well, I was still hungry, so I had to eat black ramen."

Ino made a gagging noise, and Neji raised an eyebrow. "Are we going to stand here talking about Naruto's ramen problems, or are we going to leave already?"

Naruto glared at Neji. "Fine, fine, don't get your shorts in a knot."

"Oh, I suppose that was supposed to be insulting, huh? I'm choosing to ignore that, Naruto."

-Around 8:30 P.M.-

So, after a day of traveling, (and more of Neji and Ino's bickering), they decided to rest by a river in the woods, which was about 1/3 of the way they had to travel.

"Okay, I think this is a good place as any to stop."

"Brightest idea you've had all day, Ino."

"Okay, Neji, seriously, what the frick is your problem?!?!"

Naruto started to bang his head against a tree trunk. "Geez! Will you two shut up already?! I think I've lost more brain cells today, than I have my whole life!"

Hinata walked toward Naruto. "Naruto, don't do that…"

Ino sighed. " Well, I could probably fix your brain cell rate if you wanted me to…"

"Thanks, but no thanks, I think I would scare people I started acting like a civilized person."

Neji rolled his eyes. "Well, that's for sure. So, what's our camp plan, guys? I can't do this genius stuff all on my own here."

Ino looked very peeved. "Hey, I have a great idea for the sleeping arrangements. Since there are two tents, it only makes sense that Hinata and I share, Naruto gets the second tent, and we'll stick this kid outside!"

"Hmph, VERY funny, Ino."

Hinata started doing that weird thing with her fingers. "Um… why don't Neji and Naruto share?"

Naruto looked depressed. "Aaw! And I thought that for once in my life, I would get my own tent!"

Neji looked at Naruto with disdain. "If you eat any more beans, you're going to need your own tent. Because if you fart during the night, then I won't hesitate to kick you out."

Naruto scowled. "Darn it!"

"Hey, Princess Neji, have you ever tried sleeping in the same tent as Asuma-sensei? Yeah, well, let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if I got second-hand lung cancer."

"Your point…?"

'I'm giving up on you, Neji Hyuga."

"What, so no more feeble attempts at seducing me? Aw, I was having fun mocking your frivolousness."

"THAT'S IT!"

"Hey, you two, you know you guys realize that you sound like some ridiculous middle-aged couple, right?"

Ino and Neji both turned Orochimaru pale. "Hinata," Ino started, "Never. Say. That. Again. I think I'll make some coffee."

Naruto laughed. " At 8:45 at night?!"

"Yes," Ino replied stiffly, "I'm taking the first lookout shift, just to get away from HIM."

She pointed accusingly at Neji. "…"

-AWKWARD SILENCE-

Naruto started getting antsy. "Well, because of this awkward silence, I'm going to ask a completely stupid and random question! Do any of you guys have any _special_ talents?

Ino looked up. "Hm, well, I can shake my eyeballs."

Naruto perked up. "Really?!?!?! That's cool!"

Ino nods. "Yeah, see…" (shakes eyeballs)

Hinata had an amazed look on her face. "Woah…"

Neji looked half amused and half irritated. "THAT was completely uncalled for."

Ino pouted. "Yeah, well, nobody cares about your opinion. Hinata, what about you?"

Hinata didn't know how to respond. "Um… well… I can lick my elbow…"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Lucky! I've always wanted to do that! Show us!"

Hinata licked her elbow as Naruto's eyes bugged out of his sockets "Wow, you're amazing, Hinata!

Hinata blushed. "Gee, thanks…"

"All right! Now I'll show you guys my special talent."

Neji smirked. "Well, this will be retarded…"

" I have a creaky shoulder, and I can creak it to the tune of Baa Baa Black Sheep!"

(creaks shoulder)

"Okay, Neji, now whose talent do you think was more uncalled for?"

" Yours is, Ino, because I would expect something that stupid from Naruto, but yours just made no sense."

" Ugh, why do I bother?"

Naruto looked at Neji. "So, while you sit here laughing at our awesome talents, why don't you show us yours?"

"Pardon?"

"Come on, a genius like you has to have SOMETHING!"

"If I did, why would I show you losers!"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Just suck it up, and show us already!"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeze!"

"Naruto, if you shut up, then fine. I can… wiggle my ears." (wiggles ears)

Ino cracked up. "Hey, can you wiggle your nose too?"

Neji sighed. "No."

"Liar." Hinata coughed.

Neji glares at Hinata. "Fine" (wiggles nose)

" Wow. That was the most ridiculous thing I ever saw a stiff bastard like Neji do in my whole life."

"Well, Naruto, you do more ridiculous things everyday. Besides, I don't appreciate it when you call me a stiff bastard."

Ino walks over and puts an arm around Neji's shoulders. "Aaw, we're SOO sorry. I'll have Naruto write you an apology letter and attach a lollipop just for you, okay?"

Hinata and Naruto start laughing. "I didn't appreciate that comment, either. Besides, I hate lollipops."

Ino sighed. "Well, there's no pleasing you, is there? Okay, how about we call a truce, as long as you act a little nicer? I really don't want to know what happens when all of Naruto's brain cells die because of our fighting."

Neji looked a little uncomfortable about someone putting an arm around him, because whenever Lee did that, he usually just beat the crap out of him. "Uh, sure?"

Ino grinned. "Okayz! Well, I'm off on patrol!" Ino jumped up from where she was sitting by Neji, grabbed a few senbon, and jumped up into the trees, to start her shift.

Neji shook his head. "And how does she remain so hyper at 9:15 at night?"

Naruto shrugged. " I don't know, maybe it's the coffee."

-End of Chappie 2-


	3. Chapter 3

-1**Eh, sorry for the delay, I still haven't written my friend her stories, and I heard a bit of one of the ones she wrote for me so… yeah. I admit that my stories would be, like, PG rated, if it wasn't for all of the swearing, but I'm just that kind of person. Also, don't forget to review, because it makes me feel better inside, since I apparently have a low self-esteem…stupid shrinks. Carry on! Oh, and in case someone wants to sue me, I don't own Naruto…just imagine what would happen if I DID though.**

_**Patrol!**_

Ino looked at her watch. "Well, my shift's almost up. Should be Neji's turn next… but… wait a minute…" She throws some senbon at a tree northeast of her. Neji emerges, with the three senbon caught cleanly between his fingers. "Well, I must say, it didn't take you that long to find me… even with my chakra hidden."

Ino looked at him and smirked. "It wasn't your chakra I sensed… it was your ego."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"

"You totally underestimate me, Hyuga. I'm not who I was a year ago in the Forest of Death. Since it is very easy for me to sense current emotions and workings with the mind, then your gigantic ego was easy enough to sense. Looks like Neji actually DOES have an weakness." She fake gasped and looked around. "Who knew?"

"Hmph, I thought we were on a truce, no?"

Ino smiled. "Haha, you're right, I'm just messing with you. Well, have fun taking over. I was bored to death, and I still feel like I could fight a whole gang of nins, but whatever."

Ino winked and turned around. "Don't screw up!" She headed toward camp.

Neji stood there for a minute. "Well, someone has a change in attitude. Maybe this truce wasn't such a bad idea." He paused and performed the Byakugan's hand seals. "Byakugan!" He scanned the perimeter and headed farther from camp, when he noticed two chakras, one familiar, and one not. "Hagaki." He raced toward the chakras, and waited until they took a break by the stream to appear. "So, Hagaki. What's the meaning of your treachery?"

Hagaki looked up. He was 15, a year older than Neji, but not nearly as talented at the kekkai genkai they both possessed. His hair was only down to his shoulders, and loose. Upon his forehead protector, Neji noticed a slash, right through the leaf village symbol.

"Well, look who it is here, the genius of our clan. What brings you down here, coming after a traitor, like me?"

"We were given a mission Hagaki, to track you down, and bring you back to Konoha, where, you will receive punishment by Hiashi-sama, for your behavior."

Hagaki laughed. " I don't think so. I'm supposed to be escorted by my little friend here, to the legendary sannin, Orochimaru, where, he will grant me power to crush all of you twerps!"

"You do realize the same thing happened to another genin in the village, right?"

"Hah. I am well aware of that Sasuke Uchiha. He made a smart move. You can't hope to gain power in Konoha. At least not with twerps like you around."

"And I also hope you are aware that Orochimaru is using you just like he is with Sasuke. To train you, and then steal not only the Byakugan, but your whole body."

"That's not going to happen."

"Well, we're going to have to bring you back, and I wouldn't want to waste precious chakra on you, Hagaki."

"Well, you're going to have to. Byakugan! Fuyu. Back me up!"

The ten year old, small, blond boy nodded. Neji looked over at him. "What's your name?"

"Fuyu Souzuteki." Neji nodded and took his stance. "Well, what are you waiting for, coward?"

Hagaki charged at him but was thrown off by Neji's rotation. Fuyu, who was unbelievably quick, got behind Neji, and shot poison senbon at him. All but one were blocked. Neji pulled then senbon out of his left shoulder, and hit him with a wave of chakra, but Fuyu dodged it and performed hand seals for an unknown jutsu. Fuyu and Hagaki disappeared, and Neji was standing in a completely dark area. Out of nowhere, a flood appeared, and Neji was about to jump, when he realized he couldn't move.

"Am I in genjutsu…?" A light shone through, and the dark, churning waters disappeared, he then saw Hagaki and Fuyu looking to their right.

"Augh, damn! Who threw that kunai?"

They were so intent on finding who threw the kunai, that Fuyu didn't notice a senbon flying towards him… "Ergh!… oh no! My vision's being obstructed! This must be poisonous!"

Ino leaped out of the trees. "Hmph, well of course. Stage 1: Blindness."

Neji looked over at her. "What the hell…"

Hagaki was peeved. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?!"

"Hey, Neji, are all guys in your clan overconfident bastards, or are they just a lucky few?"

"Ino, what the hell are you doing here?"

"And that's the thanks I get?

Fuyu let out a shriek and collapsed to the ground.

Ino shook her head. "Stage 2: Partial Paralysis. So, you must be Hagaki. Wow, Neji, you're cousin's hideous!"

"This is so off subject…"

"What did that bitch say to me?! Okay, you asked for it!"

"Hagaki," Fuyu said, "Don't. Run. I'm of no use to you at the moment." And with that, he wasn't able to move.

"And, Stage Three: Complete Loss of Use of Motor Skills."

"Oh shit. Well, see ya Fuyu. I'm off."

"Neji, Let's go after him! Neji?" Neji wasn't moving and staring blankly ahead.

Fuyu smirked. "Don't think you're out of the woods, Ino-sama. Those needles were laced with a special poison that targets the brain."

"Do you know me or something?"

"I know more about you than you know yourself. You will eventually understand. Now, enjoy the traces of my genjutsu." After he spoke those words, he disappeared.

"Argh! Damn kid must've performed the hand signs while the poison was still in Stage 1! Repel!" The genjutsu cleared, and Neji jumped up, and looked around. "Where did they go?"

Ino shook her head. "That little kid was clever. Created a slow activating genjutsu while the poison was still in Stage 1.Hagaki managed to escape. Here, I'll treat your wounds at camp. Come on."

-At Camp-

As, they walked into camp, they were greeted by puzzled looks from Hinata and Naruto.

"What happened to you guys?" Hinata asked.

Ino rummaged through her medical stuff. "Well, as I was coming back from my shift, I went to go wash a cut I got from patrol in the river, when I heard Neji's voice. I walked towards some nearby bushes and found him with Hagaki, and some kid called Fuyu Souzuteki. I wait until they start fighting. I decided to jump in when Fuyu, who by the way looks like he's only ten, traps Neji in a genjutsu. I hit Fuyu with my Three Stages special poison, but Hagaki got away, and so did the kid."

Naruto yawned. "Geez, you really miss a lot when you are asleep, don't you"

Neji smirked, "No kidding."

Ino walked over to where Neji was sitting with antidote, bandages, and hydrogen peroxide. "All right Neji, show me that shoulder."

Neji reluctantly took off his shirt so Ino could apply antidote and other medical crap to it.

"Geez, that's a nasty wound, Neji. So a ten-year old did that to you?" Naruto asked.

"Well, if that kid did _this _to me, I wonder what he would do to you?"

"Neji, I'm going to clean your wound with some peroxide, so it might sting a little."

"Whatever. It can't be too bad-" Ino cleans his wound, and Neji almost elbows her face.

"Gah! You loser! Here I am trying to help you out, and you're trying to inflict injury to me! You have no frickin gratitude."

""Well, sorry, that stuff felt weird."

"Well, then that means it's working! Whatever, here, drink this, it'll get rid of any after effects of the genjutsu." Neji started to drink. "Oh, but it'll make your privates fall off." Neji's eyes grew wide and he spit out the medicine. "What?!"

Ino and Naruto snickered. "I'm kidding!" Neji gave her a cold glare and continued to drink. "…Oh, and it won't reverse the effects of the genjutsu." Neji spit out the medicine again. "Ino! Don't tell me you're kidding again!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

Hinata smiled. "What happened to the truce?"

Ino wrapped up Neji's shoulder. "Don't worry, I just like to screw with my patients. Although one time, the doctor I was training under was intoxicated, so when the tumor guy first came in, the doctor thought it was a really big zit, and he told me to go get the Clearasil from the pharmacy, but he eventually came to his senses."

Neji shuddered. "I'm never going back to Konoha hospital."

"Why? Are you planning on getting a tumor sometime soon?"

"Well, no…"

-Next day-

Ino woke up after Hinata was rolling up her sleeping bag.

"Did I miss something, or are we leaving already?"

'No, I just like to get things done as soon as possible…"

"Well, seeing as I'm a procrastinator, I cannot share your view. I'm making coffee."

She walked out of the tent, yawning. Naruto and Neji were eating breakfast, and Ino boiled some water to make instant coffee, seeing as she couldn't take her coffee maker with her. "Coffee… again?" Neji shook his head. "That's pretty sad that you're so dependant, you should know what coffee does to you, seeing as you're a medic nin."

Ino stared at him. "Well, fine smart-ass, then how do you explain Tsunade's alcoholism?

I bet SHE would know that alcohol shrinks your brain, but she still drinks it."

Naruto placed his hands over his ears. "TRUCE! TRUCE!"

Hinata ran out of the tent. "What happened?"

Ino sipped her coffee. "Nothing. And it's certaintly not Neji's fault."

Neji shook his head in disbelief. "Ino, you confuse me."

Ino clapped her hands. "Yayz! I confused a smart-ass!"

Hinata finished packing up her stuff. "Oy vey…"

-Later that day-

So, after more traveling, they came across a town, and decided to take a break from the woods, and stay in an inn. "Alright, Naruto and I will go find a decent inn, while you girls get food."

"Hey, smart-ass, since we are only going to stay here at most for a day, why don't we go to a restaurant?"

Neji sighed. "Because ever since that incident with Lee, I haven't felt comfortable in a restaurant since."

Ino laughed. "Oh yeah, Jellyroll, I mean Tenten told me about that…"

Naruto started chuckling. "Jellyroll?"

"Well, Sakura and I like to bug her about her hair and it's unusual style, so we call her hair Jellyrolls. We have a theory that whenever she gets hungry, she just rips off a jellyroll and eats it, and afterwards it regenerates."

Neji smirked. "Wow. Lee and I are going to have to start calling her Jellyroll from now on. Okay, Naruto will come and find you guys, so you know which inn we're staying at. We'll look around for about an hour. Deal?"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Well, I doubt there's many cooking stuffs at the inn, so it has to be something simple."

"Whatever won't make us puke. Let's go, Naruto."

"Sure, Captain Butthead."

"Captain Butthead?"

-End of Chappie 3-

**Heh, weird, I know. And, I DID use a few lines from Kangaroo Jack, because it's an awesome movie. Oh, remember, REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

-1**Helloz. I hope people had a kick-ass Christmas. I know I did! A new guitar, hell yeah! Anywayz, you know, not to put anybody on the spot here, but I really think people should be updating more! I mean, there are some FANTASTIC NejixIno fics out there, that haven't been touched since October. It's depressive. Or maybe I have no life besides updating White Rain for you good folks at home. I don't know, I just really feel like I have to get the rest of the story on the computer before my brain dies… well, have fun.**

_**Happy Inn**_

Ino and Hinata paid for the food from the store, each holding a bag. "You know, Hinata, it's really sexist of Neji to expect us to make food for him and Naruto."

"Well, there's a reason for that…"

"Which is…?"

"You see, in the days when Neji wasn't a bastard, this was long ago, like when he was four, he was inspired by Emeril, because it was always on at his house, because his mom sucked at cooking. He tried to make something one day, I don't even know what it was supposed to be, and it really tasted sick, so, he just concentrated on kicking the asses of people who laughed at that dish."

Ino almost doubled over laughing. "Are you serious?!?! That's hilarious!!!"

Naruto walked up to them. "Hey guys, Ino, what's so funny?"

"Naruto, tell Neji he should make dinner tonight, and you'll find out."

"Well, okay… so, did you guys see any ramen stands around here?"

Hinata shrugged, but Ino just looked at the two of them and a sly grin crept on her face. "Actually, I remember seeing one by their café place not too far from the market… Hinata, I'll take these groceries to the inn, and you show Naruto where the stand is."

"Aw! Great idea, Ino! So, what do you say, Hinata?"

"U-um, sure, Naruto-kun…"

"Sweet! Okay Ino, the inn is like, the best one in town. Neji REALLY knows how to haggle… he made the reception person or whatever cry. Here's the key, oh, and lucky for you, it's right next to this town's Starbucks!"

"Yay! Neji really knows where to stay, huh? I'm going to have to thank him for that one."

Ino grabbed the keys, and ran off. She immediately saw the Starbucks, and despite all the things she was carrying, managed to carry around a Venti latte along with the two grocery bags, and keys, which were just about to slip from the crook she made with her index finger. "Um, sir, can you tell me where Room 417 is?"

The teary-eyed receptionist looked at her. "417?! You mean, you're friend…AH!"

He shoved a floor map at her and ran towards the nearby bathrooms.

"Oh dear God, Neji. What did you do to the poor guy? Oh well, not my problem. Now… 417... wait, this can't be our room! This is the presidential suite in this inn! Wow, Neji IS talented."

She walked up a few flights of stairs to the fourth floor, where their room was. She fumbled with the keys, but she couldn't open the door with all the stuff she was carrying. "Hey! Bastard-kun! Open the freakin door! I gots a whole bunch of groceries!"

"I don't believe you.", came the sarcastic remark from the other side of the door.

"If really could use that damn Byakugan of your's you could see I could use a little help!"

"Hmph, with that attitude, it has to be Ino, but seriously, Bastard-kun? What kind of nickname is that?" He opened the door, and Ino set everything on the counter in the kitchen space. "Who did you think I was, some sort of leprechaun using the Transformation Jutsu?"

"First of all, leprechauns don't have developed chakra systems, so they can't use the Transformation Jutsu, not to mention that they don't exist. And second, no, I just wanted to see what you're reaction would be."

"Whatever. So, what did you do to the guy downstairs? He looked as if he was having an emotional breakdown. Not to mention when I took a glimpse of his thoughts, there were MANY thoughts of suicide and emoness."

" Hey, it got us this room, didn't it? See in cases like this, it's better not to know."

"…Well okay then. So, how many beds are there?"

"Two bathrooms, but only three beds. Looks like Naruto is going to have to sleep on the couch."

"What, you're not going to volunteer yourself?"

"Why should I?"

"I thought you were the kind of save the day person, but I guess not. Oh well, who cares. Anywayz, I want the couch, as long as it has a lamp by it."

"You want the couch? Why?"

"They're funner to sleep on than some stupid bed."

"I am not going to question your ideals, Ino. So, what did you and Hinata get?"

"Soup. And then we also got more food, because Hinata said we were low."

"Oh, and I can only guess where that Starbucks came from."

"Yep! You picked a REALLY good inn!" Ino gave him a two-second hug, and then ran off to organize her stuff. Neji looked VERY uncomfortable for a moment, but then coughed, and went over the mission log. "So, where are Hinata and Naruto?"

"Hinata is showing Naruto where the ramen stand is."

"So, basically, they're out on a date…?"

"Well, I kind of set them up, and Naruto's such a moron, he probably is thinking of this as something completely opposite."

"Hmph. They shouldn't be wasting their time."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"We have to leave tomorrow early, and they need to sleep, because I don't want to hear any more, 'Leave me alone you chicken-faced hash! I'm trying to sleep.' from Naruto. I'm tired of hearing his half-baked insults."

"Oh, I'm sorry that not my insults are as fully baked as Neji Hyuga's!"

Ino looked up from her unpacking. "Well, Naruto, Hinata, you guys are back early. What gives?"

"The ramen was so nasty, that I just had to leave."

Neji smirked. "Wow. Ramen that Naruto doesn't like. It must be a miracle… or REALLY bad ramen."

"Neji, trust me, it was both."

Ino walked into the kitchen. "Naruto, don't you have something to ask Neji?"

"Oh, yeah, why don't YOU make dinner tonight, Neji, instead of having the girls do all the work?"

Neji gave Naruto a long, cold glare. "Naruto, run."

"What?"

"Run. Now."

"Neji, it was only a simple question, OH DEAR GOD!!! I'M GOIUNG TO DIE! HINATA, INO, HELP!"

"Juuken!"

Ino snickered. "No, Neji, stop. Police. Murder."(sarcastic monotone)

Hinata looked panicked. "Y-you guys, it's just a misunderstanding…"

Ino sighed. "They're not going to listen, Hinata. Here… Mental Break Jutsu!"

Neji and Naruto both stopped in their tracks and fell over.

"Ino, what the hell was that?!"

"Sorry, Neji, we can't have our room messed up by your wrath, now can we? Hinata and I will make dinner, and you two try not to kill each other."

"Well, who died and made you leader of this mission?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who tried to kill my comrade. Now do whatever the hell guys do when they're bored."

Naruto thought for a minute. "Hey, let's go train! Maybe I can finally beat Neji in a spar!"

Neji snorted. "Dream on."

After Naruto and Neji left, Ino turned to Hinata. "So, has was the stand?"

Hinata blushed. "Well, Naruto did put his arm around me, if only for a minute…"

"Hey, that's better than nothing, hm?" Ino turned on the stove, and got a pot from a cupboard.

"Ino, just wondering, but, do by any chance like Neji?"

Ino dropped the pot lid. "Pft, uh, hm, well, no. I mean, of course not. Why would I-"

"You do."

"And, what makes you think so?"

"Ino, you almost threw the water in the pot to the trash."

"Well, sue me if I'm a space cadet."

"…Give it up."

"Okay, so maybe I like the bastard a little bit. Sue me if I like guys I can have a fun argument with."

"Ah, I see. Well, at least you guys are getting along better."

"Well, he's more tolerable now."

"Sure, in YOUR eyes."

"Well, don't mention this to Neji or Naruto. Otherwise, I will NOT be happy."

"Don't worry, I'm not like Sakura."

"Thank you SO much. Now let's finish this crap." Unknown to Ino, a brilliant plan was forming in Hinata's head.

-Around 8:30-

Naruto came back with many bruises, and Neji followed, smirking. Hinata gasped. "Neji, what did you do to Naruto?"

"Nothing that he didn't see coming, Hinata."

Naruto grinned. "I almost beat him this time!"

Neji rolled his eyes. "No you didn't."

"Oh yeah, well I won in spirit!"

"That doesn't make sense."

Ino huffed at her bangs. "Will both of you shut up? Naruto, before I heal your bruises, I need you to get me some coffee."

"Okay!" Naruto ran to the Starbucks and handed it to Ino. "Does coffee have medical usage for wounds and that's why you wanted me to get you coffee?"

Ino already drank the whole thing of coffee. "No, I just needed some coffee."

Neji smirked. "Well, if there is any time at all to dupe a moron, I guess now was the time to do it."

Ino grinned. "Yeah, you got the idea, Neji. Allright, Naruto, I'm just going to clean those bruises and wrap them up, and don't try to do anything funny, like when I used this on Neji." She glared at Neji.

"Hey, I'm not used to being hurt, since of course I AM a genius after all."

Ino rolled her eyes, and treated Naruto's wounds. "Sure."

Hinata smiled a little at their bickering. "Okay. Soup's ready."

-9:00-

After everybody ate, Ino called a maid to pick up the plates.

"Oh, the maid must be here already, I got it!"

Ino got all the plates and Neji opened the door. "Damn you, I said I got it!"

"Just be glad I bothered helping you out."

Ino ignored him. "Here you are. Thanks for taking care of it for us."

The maid put on an obviously fake smile. "Oh, no problem! Just doing my job!"

She walked away, with a cartload of plates, muttering, "Damn kids can't take care of themselves these days…I've got my tights all up in my hiney, and damn it all…"

Neji and Ino just looked at each other and shrugged.

"Um, Neji, can you check and see if there are any enemies tracking us?"

"Why can't you, Hinata?"

"Because Naruto wants me to make him some ramen."

Naruto turned around and gasped. "Hinata, how did you know I wanted ramen?"

Ino looked at him. "Gee, I WONDER."

Hinata turned to Ino. "You better go out and check with Neji on the balcony."

Ino had a weird look on her face. "Why me, and why the balcony?"

Hinata started pushing them towards the balcony. "Ino, Ino, don't question my logic."

She gave them a final shove onto the balcony, locked and closed the door, put something that looked like post-its on the door, and put down the blinds. All of a sudden, music started playing from an ipod and speakers on the balcony table. And get which song it was. Yep, You Get Me by Michelle Branch. Ino started kicking the door.

"What the hell was that for?!? Open up, dammit!"

"It's no use, Ino. Hinata made a chakra barrier on the door, so nobody's chakra can pass through. I guess using your mind techniques are out of the question."

Ino sighed. "I think we've been set up. Damn, what was Hinata thinking?"

-Inside-

Naruto peeked out the blinds. "Hinata, why did you lock Neji and Ino out on the balcony?"

"U-um, bec-cause Naruto, if Neji had a girlfriend, I was thinking he would stop being such a bastard. After Kurenai-sensei made it official with Asuma-sensei, she was less strict on us, so I thought…" Hinata started doing that finger thing again.

"Oh! I get it! That's a great idea! Now Neji isn't here to tell us what time to go to sleep! YES! Come on, let's go see what's on paper-view!"

"Coming, Naruto-kun…"

-Balcony-

Ino was looking for a way out, while Neji sat there, watching, with an amused expression on his face. "Face it, we're to high up to jump off, and there's no trees or anything to jump on to, so we're stuck until Hinata removes the barrier.

"Okay, you're right, but at least let me turn of this music. I'm seriously getting the worst headache of the century here."

Ino walked over to the ipod, shut it off, and sat down next to Neji.

"How are we supposed to get any sleep here? That's only thing that'll help me now."

"Can't you fix your headache with your medical jutsu?"

"I tried to, but nothing seems to be working on it, but it's like it's not even a migraine or anything." She rested her head against the wall the were leaning on. "Well, you did say to get enough sleep for tomorrow, so what are you waiting for?"

"Hmph. If you are going to sleep in that position, you're going to tilt over to one side."

"Whatever."

"Well, don't say I didn't say so."

"Good night to you too, Bastard-kun."

-End of Chappie 4-

**Lol. I officially have no life. I'm updating like crazy here, for who knows why, but the whole balcony thing was inspired from something that happened to me. You see, on a cruise, some friends locked me with this guy we became friends with on the balcony of one room. There was music and pasta set up, but we were trying to kick down the door most of the time. We later ended up going out for a few days, but we broke up, because it was the end of the cruise. Weird, huh?**


	5. Chapter 5

-1**Hello, hello. Im srry ppl, but I DID get a life, and after I did, I was hit with a GIGANTIC thing of writers block. Im trying to update this, so that no one will hate me, and becuz I know wat itz like to wait a REALLY long time for a story u love.(Im referring to Mind Games. Thnx so much x Ino Fan x! And, I don't know if u guys really like it,(my fic that is) or just read it for the sarcasm, but Im trying to be considerate) I'm also really happy that ppl r updating and creating more NejixIno fics!(gawd knows we need more) I don't want to be a hypocrite, so Im trying to update. Also, I want to thnk sakimono-chan, cuz she wrote me a NejixIno. EVEN though she doesn't like it that much. Namine94 also has been super nice, and even came up with a part in this fic! Thnx Namine! Im trying my best at writing romance, so bear with me! I hope it turns out okay…REVIEW!**

_**-The part where this story gets more serious(OR NOT)-**_

Neji woke up feeling very, very stiff.(He's been sleeping on a brick wall, what do u expect) It was going to suck to travel further today. He was going to have to 'talk' to Hinata-sama later. He tried to get up, but then looked over at his left, and noticed Ino using him as a pillow, arms around him. He smirked and shook his head. "And here I was saying she would tilt over, but would she take my advice? Typical stubborn Ino…" He sat there, wondering whether to wake her up or not, when all of a sudden, a girl to the balcony next to them, sees them, and while laughing her head off, shouts,

"GO GET YOUR GROOVE ON IN YOUR ROOM, AND NOT ON YOUR BALCONY WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE YOU, THOUGH I WOULDN'T MIND WATCHING, IT WOULD BE MORE ENTERTAINING THAN AN M RATED FANFICTION!!!(Haha, good job, Namine!) She ran back into her room, not waiting to see Neji's reaction.

His eyes grew wide and he glanced over at Ino again. The blonde kunoichi was starting was starting to grow on him, but this was too much! "You know what, I think that helped me make my decision. Hey, Ino, wake up." Ino didn't stir. Neji frowned. "I thought she was a light sleeper? Hinata-sama said she almost got punched in the face when she tried to wake her up the other day…"

He gently shook her, but then noticed that her breathing was shallow, and her body felt cold, not like a normal human's body temperature. He saw that her left arm was caked in blood, a little pool drying beside her.

"Wha…I didn't sense any movement up here…I would've have known right away…could her headache cause this…? Who knows what kind of headaches a person who uses mind jutsus have…?" He picked her up, and started kicking the door, assuming Hinata still had the chakra barriers on it.

"Hinata-sama! Open up!" He then looked through the glass, and saw that the chakra barriers had been taken down. "She sure has a sense of humor…" He opened it, went inside, and set Ino on the couch. Hinata and Naruto came running in the main room.

"Neji!" Naruto exclaimed, "What did you do to Ino-chan!"

Neji stared at him. "I didn't do ANYTHING. When I woke up, her arm was caked in blood. Her breathing is shallow and labored, and her body temperature is below normal, I'm assuming."

Hinata activated Byakugan and looked at her arm. "Neji, take a look at this."

Neji activated his Byakugan also, and examined her arm. "There's a sinister build-up of black chakra in that arm. Like nothing I've never seen. Normal chakra is blue, while chakra used for healing is green. Naruto has the Kyuubi's red chakra, and Sasuke had a purple chakra when his cursed seal was activated. But black? It's trying to seep through the rest of her body. I don't know what the meaning of this is, but it can't be good."

Hinata shivered. "It's such a cold chakra, no wonder her body temp is low."

Naruto nodded. "That makes sense, but why is her arm, bleeding?"

Hinata ran over to Ino's medical supplies "I may not be a medic nin, but I'll try to clean up her arm." Hinata started cleaning up her arm, but once the caked blood was off she gasped. "What is this?! She has some sort of markings on her arm! It looks like a clan seal, or whatever."

Neji looked at it for a minute. "Now that I think about it, that Fuyu kid had similar spirals up his left arm. His spirals didn't circle up his arm as many as Ino's though. Maybe six times, but on Ino's arm, they circle about ten…not too mention that he had black irises, and blue pupils also…could they be related?"

Naruto shook his head. "Okay, I don't get it. Wasn't his name Fuyu _Souzuteki _though? I've seen Ino's parents, they have normal eyes, and no spirals…what is that all about?"

Hinata finished wrapping up her arm. "G-good point, Naruto-kun. I-I wonder why…"

Neji turned around, and headed towards the door.

"Neji, w-where are you going?"

"I'm going to see if the villagers know anything about the Souzuteki clan. If they are in league with Orochimaru, then this could be bad. And according to the map, we should be pretty close to his western headquarters…" He hurried out of the room.

Hinata and Naruto looked at each other. "Well, Hinata-chan, what do we do now?"

"W-well, I don't know what else we can do for her. We could go get breakfast, and let her rest. If she isn't awake by the time we get back, then we should take her to a hospital, or find a healing nin. Ino's got a strong, stubborn spirit, she might turn out okay…I really don't know if it's a good idea leaving her though…"

"Well, like you said, we probably can't help her. She knows medical stuff, even unconscious, I'm sure she can help herself. Believe it!"

-Around 9:00 a.m.-

Ino woke up feeling as though her arm was frozen. She slowly got up, and wondered how she ended up on the couch INSIDE. She saw that her arm was wrapped up, and started to unravel the bandage. "What is this?! Some sort of tattoo? …this is getting weird…and how did I end up over here? Didn't Hinata lock Neji and I outside? Ugh, maybe my headache was corrupting my thinking. I don't know. And where is everybody? Hm, I guess I'll just ask what's going on when they get back…" She gathered some clean clothes, and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

5 minutes later, Neji came back, and walked over to the couch. "_Where's Ino?"_(note: single words that r caps or italicized mean somebody's emphasizing a word; plain italics mean someones thinking) He cautiously looked around the suite, and then just gave up, and activated Byakugan.

"…Hn…" He froze. "Okay, I didn't mean to see that…" Neji mentally whacked himself. "_Loser! You should of considered the possibility of her being in the bathroom! Ugh, great, now I'm worse than Naruto!" _He sighed and sat down. _"But come on, it was a view, even though she was wrapped in a towel. A SHORT one." _

This time Neji shook his head. _"Stupid Naruto, corrupting my mind with his perverted ways…okay, remember, you are not, and will never be a pervert!" _

Suddenly, the door opened, and Ino stepped out, tying her hair into it's usual ponytail. "Hm, I miss having long hair…oh, Neji, you're back."

Neji stood up and walked over to her. "So, how's your arm?"

Ino rewrapped her bandage. "Hurts like hell, but whatever. I wont let it get in the way of the mission. And, not to mention I've got the powers of the healing arts on my side."

"Oh really?"

"Well, duh. I figured out that I can stop my nerve cells carrying the information that my arm is in pain, so, therefore, I don't even realize that it hurts! Watch…"

She gathered chakra in her hand, and started to use it on her arm "What the…why is my chakra black? It's usually green…"

"Ino, when I woke up this morning, I noticed that you're arm was bleeding, Hinata-sama cleaned your arm, and that's when we found those spirals on your arm. A black chakra is emanating from it, and it's spreading throughout your whole body. I went around to see if anybody knew anything about the Souzuteki's…" He paused. "Fuyu had spirals just like those, meaning that you must have some Souzuteki blood, Ino, because that is their mark."

Ino looked at him. "Y-you cant be serious! My mom's maiden name is Konaime.(idk ppl…I just made something up) Then that would mean that…she's my step-mom or something…"

"Ino, I've seen her at the hospital. She doesn't look anything like you."

"Well, just because she doesn't look like me doesn't mean she's not my mom, right?"

"Well, we could consider that maybe she changed her last name or something, but looking at Fuyu, it seems like blonde hair and eyes with black irises and blue pupils are their genetic traits, just like white eyes in my family."

"This is messed up. And this chakra…it feels darker, and stronger than my usual chakra…"

"I don't know what to say…"

"Well, Fuyu did seem to know me or something…and he called me Ino-SAMA. And then he also claimed that he knew more about me than I myself…I thought he was just trying to creep me out…"

"This is a definite possibility, like it or not."

Ino sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do. You know what, let's just forget this ever happened, and continue with the mission."

"Are you sure? Just for your benefit, you might want to see a medic nin about that. Maybe they can't seal that chakra, but they can at least do something about it."

"Hey, why are you acting so concerned? Why should the 'Hyuga prodigy' care what happens to someone like me?"

"Pft, don't flatter yourself. I was merely caring for the sake of the mission. None of this has anything to do with YOU." Neji wasn't about to make himself look like a moron.

"Sure. I know that DEEP down, you really care."

"What, are you probing my mind or something?"

"So you are admitting that THE Neji Hyuga has a crush on me?"

"No, nothing like that. Why should I?"

"…Okay, if you're not going to admit it, I won't force you!" Ino skips off to make coffee, leaving Neji hanging. (sort of) After she's had about two cups of coffee, Naruto and Hinata come back. Hinata's eyes widen.

"So you're okay now?"

"Oh yeah."

Neji glances at the clock on the wall. "Well, if none of us feel as if we are about to die, then let's check out, shall we?"

Naruto runs and gets his bag. "Okay! I managed to fit all of my ramen in the bag this time!"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Yeah, good thing too, because gawd knows how much trouble we'd be in without RAMEN."

Naruto stared at her with an angry look in his eyes. "Hey, I don't question your coffee, so you don't question my ramen."

Ino sighed and shrugged. "Whatever." They all headed downstairs to reception desk, and turns out the guy who Neji thoroughly scared was sitting there, snoring away. Neji cleared his throat and the guy looked up.

"Y-you….w-w-were the guy f-f-f-from the o-o-ther d-day…AH!" He grabbed the keys from his hand, and pushed all of them out of the inn, then ran back inside, typed something at the computer, then ran off to the bathrooms. AGAIN.

Ino looked at Neji, eyebrows raised, and a big sarcastic smile on her face. "Wow. That's one way to get service at an inn, huh? THAT WAS TOO FUNNY!" She burst out laughing, and Naruto and Hinata soon joined her. People on the street were wondering why these crackpots were laughing their heads off by their villages best inn. Oh well. They were too scared to ask, anyways.

-10:00 pm-

After the four of them set up their tents and ate, Ino went off to do the first patrol, but was surprised when Neji came before his shift started.

"What are you doing here so early?"

"Making sure we won't die in our beds due to your patrolling skills."

"Hey! I WAS the one who saved your butt from that Fuyu kid anyways!"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it that. Anyways, knowing you, you'll probably fall off of a tree and be unable to make sure no one gave us a surprise attack."

"I'm NOT a klutz!" Ino was so busy glaring at Neji, she didn't have enough time to get a steady balance on the tree ahead of her. Her foot slipped off the branch, and she tried to get chakra in her hands, so she could grab the nearest tree. All of a sudden, she fell into a pair of strong, warm arms.

"Nice going, Yamanaka." But before she had time to protest, their faces got closer, and Neji pulled her into a long, sweet kiss.

-End of Chappie 5-

**Wow. If the last two chappies have been cheesy lately, then Im srry, but like I said, I suck at romance. I TRIED MY BESTIEST! Anywayz, Once again, srry for the delay, but my brain turned to caffeinated goo, so I tried to finish it. And ALWAYS remember, REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED/WANTED/NEEDED/THE AUTHOR GETS HIGH OFF OF READING THEM! Okay, maybe not the last part as much, but you get my point. Flames, constructive critiscism, ANYTHING is welcome. **


	6. Chapter 6

-1**Okay, now I'm an even biggerer hypocrite, and my mind is seriously dieing…but for all of you people who are starting to hate me for never updating, well…here you go…I'll try to be more punctual about updates in the future, but it's going to be hard since I'm grounded and all…oh well. NejixIno's are not going to write themselves, and we SERIOUSLY need more! So…read and enjoyz, and if you don't, then tell me what was wrong with in it a review or something(or you could help my inferiority complex by saying what was right about it lol) On to the random adventures of Bastard-kun and Ino!(Italics thoughts) **

_**-(insert chappie title here)-**_

Neji's impulsiveness caught Ino off guard. Sure, she saw that they have been getting along better now, but even with Ino's ability to read people's minds and predict their next movements, she didn't see it coming…they haven't even been on truce for all that long…so why on earth was the white-eyed Hyuga clan prodigy starting to take interest in her? Not that she was complaining of course. She returned Neji's kiss, but was wondering the whole time what brought about his sudden change of attitude towards her. Finally her lungs felt like they were about to burst, so she pulled away, taking a few deep breaths. He smiled at her, no, not a smirk, but a genuine smile(which is pretty rare), an she smiled back, but then winced.

Her arm with the seal on it felt like it was on fire. Ever since this black chakra came into her body, she wasn't able to perform medical jutsu on herself, only others…he lowered her back onto the tree branch, and Ino's vision blacked out for a few seconds, but was shortly followed with another one of those migraines she has been receiving lately. She leaned against Neji for support while her head was spinning.

"Are you okay?"

"I think the seal is trying to take over the rest of my body now…you know what…why don't you take over this shift, and I'll see you back at camp." She smiled weakly at him, kissed him on the cheek, and started heading back towards the where they were staying the night.

Neji frowned. "Oh no you don't. Knowing you, you're probably going to pass out somewhere, leaving you prone to attack."

"Okay, I'm weak, but I'm not THAT weak! Not everyone can be as strong as you, you know." Ino grumbled.

Neji picked her up again. "When someone offers to do something nice for you, the proper words are 'Thank you.' or in this case, 'Thank you Neji for your undying kindess' followed with another kiss." He was smirking again.

Ino poked him in the shoulder. "So that's your angle, huh? You know what, you've completely changed. Why are you helping me so much?"

"Because all of my life, I have watched the people I care about most be taken away from me, and I'm not about to let that happen to you."

Ino was silent for a moment. "What if I promised to get into situations where I can get killed less?"

"Hmph. We'll see."

-Off in some distance-

"I think I'm going to be sick just from watching those two."

"Calm down, Hagaki. This is all part of the plan."

"What plan? You never told me of any plan!"

"Dude, shut up already. You're not the only one that Orochimaru-sama needs for his master plan."

"Can you please tell me the damn plan already?!"

"Impatient, are we not? I'm only ten and you act less mature than I do."

"Fuyu!"

"Okay, fine. Orochimaru has lost a considerable amount of Sound nin lately, and he wants you to follow him. My clan, the Souzuteki, have allied with Orochimaru for his quest for power under one condition. That Kuroi-sama, the matriarch of the clan would finally reunite with her daughter…who just happens to be Ino-sama…oh, and Orochimaru wants Neji to follow him as well…so it's convenient that these two care so much about each other, because if we kidnapped one of them, the other would surely come after them."

"I guess that makes sense, but why NEJI?!"

Fuyu carefully considered his choice of words. _"He can't find out that Orochimaru wants Neji as a container after he takes care of Sasuke…otherwise he'll become resentful and keep on asking me why Orochimaru doesn't want __**him**__."_

"Well, Hagaki, Orochimaru thought you would be happier if you could finally get your revenge on your cousin."

"Oh, that's great!"

"_Ignorant fool…" _Fuyu sighed. "Do you get it now?"

"Yes, and I can't wait."

-Back at camp-

Ino was bursting with joy as she snuck back into the tent she shared with Hinata. As she entered, she noticed that Hinata was awake, sitting on her sleeping bag, with a small smile on her face. Ino raised an eyebrow.

"What are you so happy about? You've got to go take over the shift when Neji is done in twenty minutes."

"I know. But I couldn't sleep any longer."

"Whatever."

"What took you, Ino?"

Ino blushed and crawled into her sleeping bag. "…My arm started hurting again…that's all…so I was a little late in coming back…"

"Wouldn't you of passed out by now coming back alone."

Ino blushed even more. "You know what, Hinata, just don't question my logic."

Hinata smiled. "Ino, that's my line. I know something happened between you and nii-san…I have Byakugan, remember."

Ino rolled to her other side, away from Hinata. "Oh, dear God, you are turning into Sakura."

"Good night to you too, Ino."

-Next morning-

Ino opened her eyes as the sun came through the opening in the tent, temporarily blinding her. "Ow, my eyes…" She picked herself up, and noticed that Hinata was still sleeping, for once. Hinata normally got up before she did. "She must be tired from trying to stick her nose in my business. When we get back to Konoha, I'm making sure she stays away from Sakura for a few weeks." She shut the tent completely, put on some fresh clothes, and then went back outside. Of course, both of the guys were up, because they always woke before the girls did. However, today, Naruto looked half asleep, and Neji had cuts and bruises everywhere. Ino sat down next to Neji.

"Uhh, are you guys okay…?"

Naruto stared at Ino angrily. "Yeah, Ino. We're both frickin fantastic because we ran into Santa and his elves last night. OF COURSE WE'RE NOT OKAY!!!"

"Ignore Naruto. He probably didn't get enough sleep last night after we ran into Hagaki and Fuyu last night."

"Why did Naruto fight them if he wasn't supposed to do the shift until after Hinata?"

Naruto glared at her. "Because Hinata was tired, so I offered to trade with her, if it's so frickin important to you."

Ino leaned a little closer to Neji. "Well, no need to bite my head off. Do you guys want me to clean your cuts for you?"

Naruto pushed back his sleeve. "Don't bother, I'm clean."

Hinata came out of the tent, squinting at the bright sunlight and rubbing her eyes.

Naruto then fell off of the log he was sitting on. "Ow, the pain is HORRIBLE! Hinata-chaaaaan, do you still have that ointment you gave me at the Chuunin Exams, because it really worked."

"S-sure," Hinata stammered, "I th-think it's in my bag…"

Hinata went off to get it and Naruto grinned.

Ino immediately saw what was going on. "Naruto…I thought a second ago you said you were fine…"

Naruto continued his ramen. "I will be…after Hinata treats me…"

Neji shook his head. "Just don't do anything perverted, Naruto. She is my cousin, and I am supposed to look after her, or Hiashi-sama will have my head."

"Hehe…"

"Naruto, I mean it."

Hinata came out with the ointment. (even though Naruto was fine with the whole Kyuubi 'quick fix' thing) "Oh, Naruto-kun…you have some drool on your face…"

"Heh?" Naruto started wiping his whole face with his hand and finally got off whatever was on his face. "Oh, Hinata-chan, that wasn't drool…that was something else."

Neji and Ino both backed away from Naruto a little. Hinata sweat dropped.

"Uh, are you sure you want me to take care of your cuts, Naruto?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. Don't let a little toad spit get in your way."

Ino dropped her breakfast. "Well, that's just beautiful. So, Neji, how close are we to Ororchimaru's western headquarters?"

"We should get just close enough to it by the end of the day. Then tomorrow, we'll go check things out. Still doubting my leadership skills, Ino?"

Ino flicked his shoulder. "Shut up. I was just pissed at you because you were being an asshole."

"Am I still an asshole?"

"You can work on it a little more."

Naruto and Hinata high-fived each other when they weren't looking. Actually, Naruto gave Hinata a high-five, but he accidentally hit her on the forehead pretty hard, leaving her dazed for a second.

"Whoops. Hehe…sorry Hinata-chan…"

-Later in the day-

As they were coming up to the area where they would spend the night, the was a small settlement crossing into the forest.

"Hey Naruto, look up ahead."

"Oh yeah. Another of them, huh? There have been a lot of them lately…wonder if the locals are friendly?"

Ino blinked. "Yeah, I really don't think the people would welcome us with arms wide open exactly. This is where some of Orochimaru's strongest followers in the western area must live. These people have been mislead by him most of their life."

Naruto looked over at her. "Hey, how do you know that?"

Ino shrugged. "Ever since a few days ago, I've been able to read minds almost instantly…except his." She glanced over at Neji with a mock look of anger.

"Sorry, but I prefer to keep things like my thoughts private."

"Doesn't everyone? Oh look, maybe we could find out the exact location of Orochimaru's lair from that guy." Ino walked up to a cranky-looking guy selling melons.

"Ino, you don't know if this guy is a ninja."

"Oh, quit worrying Bastard-kun. Remember, I'm the one who can read minds here!"

"Well, fine, go ahead."

Ino skipped up to the stand. "Hello!"

The guy sneered at her. "Are you going to buy something?"

"If I see anything worth my money." Ino started looking around the stand, but when he wasn't looking, she performed the Ox, Boar, and Ram handsigns so that she can have full and complete access to all of his knowledge on Ororchimaru. She scanned his thoughts through childhood memories, ninja skills, and best ways to market melons, and finally came up with what she needed. But of course, she couldn't resist trying to get a little more out of this opportunity…

-10 minutes later-

"Where's Ino?" Naruto whined. "I'm dieing of boredom!"

Neji gave him a warning glance. Ino walked up to them, happily chattering away with the melon guy, who seemed to be responding to her conversation.

"Hey guys. This person right here is Sanzin, he will help us 'get where we need to go'. Right Sanzin?"

Sanzin nodded dumbly, staring off into some distance. This was a big clue that Ino had him under mind control.

Naruto didn't catch on. "Wow, Ino, how did you get him to help us? I mean since he is a f-" Hinata covered Naruto's mouth with her hand, and motioned for him to keep quiet. Then, realizing what she just did, she quickly blushed, and wiped her hand on her pants. Ino sent a death glare Naruto's way. "So, Sanzin will help us out tomorrow if Naruto doesn't ruin it for us." Another glare. Naruto cringed and started inching towards Hinata for protection.

Neji smirked. "Thank you, we'll see you tomorrow."

Sanzin grinned, nodded, and handed Neji a melon. Neji took it awkwardly. "Erm…thank you…?" He looked over at Ino. She shrugged and mouthed 'Play along.'

Neji just gave the melon to Naruto, which pleased him a lot. "Aw, great! This means I won't have to worry about Neji making us anything!"

Neji was twitching. "Naruto, last time it took all of my self-control not to kill you. This time, however, you can just forget about ever breathing again." His light eyes darkened.

"EEP!" Naruto started defending himself with Shadow Clones to fend off Neji's wrath. It wasn't working. Ino and Hinata stood there. "So, Hinata…"

"Ino, this is terrible! They might hurt each other! Not only that, but their fighting will give us all away!"

Ino smiled a little. "I don't think we need to worry about that." She pointed over to a lady carrying laundry who just walked past as if they weren't even there. She sighed. "I don't think we can stop them. Right now they are beyond our help. So, want to go see if there is a Starbucks?"

"Ino, in a grimy little settlement for Orochimaru's followers, do you really think there will be a Starbucks?"

Ino blinked "…Hehe…too true."

-End of Chappie 6-

**Okayz, sorry once again that I haven't updated for a while, _but _since it is my birthday, I thought that in honor of that, I will finally update. If this sucks more than usual, than it's because it's hard to get back in the swing of things, but the next chappie will be TONS better. Trust me. Well, as birthday prezzies, all of you can review! …Well…please just do it anyways, birthday, or no birthday.**


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